Please can you advise on the best dog harness for my little Patterdale.
I took her to the beach today and had her on a long extending lead to enable her to run and explore, but still be under control, this was joined to a harness. Another dog (off lead) ran over and started standing over her and growling, she was so terrified she backed off really hard and managed to pull herself out of her harness, she then legged it across the beach. With gentle calling and persuasion she eventually came back to me ( her recall is quite good when she is not frightened ) but I was so scared that she was gone. I have her on a harness because she does tend to pull when excited and I feel that it is more gentle on her neck, although she has a collar when doing lead training, but this was a fun day out and I wanted her to have the freedom to sniff around. 
The trouble with Patterdales is that they have quite small heads and slip collars very easily and in this case obviously slip a harness just as easily. I am sure I have seen a harness where the lead clips to the collar and the top of the harness like on a on a double lead but still allows the dog the freedom to run about and explore without being by my side, but this way prevents escape from the harness.
I have seen the ones where the leads are fixed to the top and the side but think that this is for training and she won't have a long enough lead to wander around, so I would be very grateful for any advice as this has spoilt the enjoyment of the occasional day at the beach.

When I was rehabilitating a very frightened unsocialised rescue I used a harness and half check collar,a s like you I found they could get out of the harness, but choked themselves on just the collar.

Hi,we have had the same problem with our Boxer with a petshop bought harness the reason she wears one for her walks up the downs she tends to chase things so she runs with a harness on with a short lead so we can grab it if need be but on the walk to the downs if we stop to talk to anyone she starts to reverse out of the harness,then runs off so we contacted www.culpeppers.co.uk they make their own harnesses to what ever colour and measurements you give them also they do padded ones they have and race huskys,when we spoke to them they said it was virtually impossible for a dog to get out of their design of harness we were doubtful so we ordered a safety strap from them which attaches to the harness where  the lead is also attached the other end goes on the colllar so if the dog does reverse out of the harness it is still attached to the lead and collar,we were so pleased with Betty's one that she hasnt managed to get out of hers that we have taken off the safety strap,if you did'nt want to get another harness just send off for one of these straps they are about £5.00 and use with your own one at least you know she will be safe if she backs out again,hope this is of some help.Debby

Ruffwear webmaster harnesses are meant to be absolutely escape proof. It's the only one my friends lurcher can't get out of. They are expensive but worth it for peace of mind.

Many thanks for all the advice, I think I will try the half choke collar with my harness, maybe with 2 leads or maybe with the connecting safety strap, I think it will be a bit of trial and error (in a safe place) if this all fails then perhaps I will have no option but to splash out on a new harness.
There may be a way to join the 2 leads  about 1 foot from the end if I can find or make a 12 inch strap with a clip on one end and a ring on the other, then slot the main lead through the ring, this way if she escapes the harness she will still be joined on to the collar. If this type of lead does not exist then maybe it should be invented !
But thanks again for advice

why dont you try the mikki walkrite harness,its a normal collar around the neck and the harness(easy to use)attaches to it,good value as well
jo

Have you ried the style that are used for Tracking?  Dogs can lean into these without putting pressure on their neck or throat and I have never yet heard of a dog backing out of one.

You do need to be very careful if you are attaching a longline or extending lead to a collar particulalrly a half check, personally I would only use a harness for that kind of more free running becuase if they dash to the end of it you can end up doing damage to the neck, or at the very least it hurting - I would go with the collar and safety attachemnt to the harness os that if the does back out of the harness at least you have the collar there as back up.

Thoug as someone else has mentioned ruff wear harness are brillinat and I kow lots of former houdinis that would back out of harness for a past time that can't in those.  Most dogs seem to find the really comfy as well :-)

Hi

Is is a step in harness you are using.

Maybe worth looking at the likes of these http://www.petplanet.co.uk/product.asp?dept_id=112&pf_id=6917

They are a bit more fiddly to put on than a step in harness but I have yet to hear of a dog managing to back out of it.

h

Hi,
This is the one she escaped from, I thought it would be soft and not rub under her arms. http://www.petplanet.co.uk/product_group.asp?dept_id=112&pg_id=1079

> You do need to be very careful if you are attaching a longline or extending lead to a collar particulalrly a half check, personally I would only use a harness for that kind of more free running becuase if they dash to the end of it you can end up doing damage to the neck, or at the very least it hurting -

I have to say I'm always a bit alarmed at the number of customers dogs who come in with a flexi attached to a collar-I do wonder if I should say something? Flexis really should carry a warning saying they should only be used with harnesses not collars.I wonder how many neck injuries are caused by flexis attached to collars.
I use a flexi on my papilllon when its not safe to let her off the lead(which is most of the time) but attached to a Dog Games harness.I did have a problem with her escaping from her harness to begin with but I stitched the neck hole smaller(at the bottom) which worked.
What about trying a Dog Games Perfect Fit harness-they can be made with rings at the front as well to stop pulling.http://dog-games-shop.co.uk/perfect-fit-fleece-dog-harness/20mm-harness

>I have to say I'm always a bit alarmed at the number of customers dogs who come in with a flexi attached to a collar-I do wonder if I should say something? Flexis really should carry a warning saying they should only be used with harnesses not collars.

I also see loads of dogs on flexi leads attached to collars, usually hitting the end at full pelt! Makes me cringe when I see it.

My friends lurchers and Greyhounds can easily escape the standard fleece harnesses and the Perfect Fit ones even though she has tried to alter them to make a more secure fit. My Dobermann on the other hand definitely cannot. I would definitely go with a Ruffwear harness for an escape artist.

I would never use a flexi with a collar either thats why I use a harness when on a day out and a collar only when lead training.
The Ruffwear harness looks great, but so large for such a small dog it looks as though it would swamp her, although I accept I could be completely wrong about that.
I am not concerned about her pulling, that is being sorted when we do proper lead training and she is taught to walk gently at my side ( hopefully) but just a safe harness for when out on walks when again she doesn't pull a great deal, she just runs around investigating new smells. She only pulled when terrified of the large dog standing over her and in this case she backed out of the harness. Under normal circumstances she does not attempt to escape or pull hard, but it worries me that she could, when frightened get out of it and run away.

I must admit the Dog Games harness looks interesting and a possibility

Hiya,

The dpogs games harnesses are fab, there are even better ones in my opinion from snugglepet as they also have a link on the front of the hanrness so use a double ended l;ead with them.  I have dogs games or snuggle pets harness for all my rabble but none of them back out of harnesses and i do know others that have had dogs back out of them.  But if she;s not bad it may be fine.  I know others with terriers that have used the ruff wear harnesses, they do look cumbersome but I've not knows a dog not be comofrtable in them, theya re very light weight really and the pressure is distributed more evenly thatn with iother harnesses :-)